Picks by John Archive - Check It Out

Check It Out

The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao

John of Fiction/AV/Teen Services recommends The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz:

Much of Junot Diaz’s Pulitzer Prize-winning debut novel The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao isn’t even about the hapless New Jersey nerd of its title. The impressive scope of the book expands to include multiple generations of Oscar’s family and the supposed curse which first befell them in the Dominican Republic’s oppressive past. Real or imagined, this curse encompasses tragic events for both Oscar and his forebears—but the story unfolds in a voice that’s lively and playful, rich with allusions and digressions. This ingeniously nimble prose will draw you into an unforgettable mix of geeky dreams and nightmarish history.

By Readers' Advisor on April 8, 2013 Categories: All Staff Picks, Books, Picks by John

John’s Pick: Trouble in Paradise

There is an effortless elegance and charm to Trouble in Paradise, Ernst Lubitsch’s masterful, early Hollywood, romantic comedy. Gaston and Lily are a glamorous, larcenous couple embroiled in a scheme to steal a fortune from a gorgeous perfume magnate – but what happens when Gaston begins to fall for her?

By Readers' Advisor on April 2, 2013 Categories: All Staff Picks, Movies and Television, Picks by John

John’s Pick: Hedwig and the Angry Inch

Hedwig and the Angry Inch, cinematic history’s first transsexual, glam-rock musical, follows German expatriate Hedwig and her hilariously unpopular band The Angry Inch (named for Hedwig’s semi-botched sex-change operation). Their cross-country tour plays a chain of cut-rate family seafood restaurants in a film about pain, love, and what identity means.

By Readers' Advisor on January 15, 2013 Categories: All Staff Picks, Movies and Television, Music, Picks by John

John’s Pick: City Hunter

Jackie Chan is at his silliest in this live-action adaptation of City Hunter, a popular Japanese manga and anime. Chan plays Ryu Saeba, a private eye hired by a publishing magnate to find his missing daughter. The gags are lowbrow, but City Hunter still makes for a frenetic, fun movie.

By Readers' Advisor on October 23, 2012 Categories: All Staff Picks, Movies and Television, Picks by John

John’s Pick: Two-Lane Blacktop

The late-60s/early-70s cycle of existential road movies yielded a number of interesting films, but perhaps the most overlooked is Monte Hellman’s minimalist masterpiece, Two-Lane Blacktop. “The Driver” and “The Mechanic” have simplified their lives to exist almost solely as extensions of the ‘55 Chevy they race from town to town.

By Readers' Advisor on July 31, 2012 Categories: All Staff Picks, Movies and Television, Picks by John

John’s Pick: Leningrad Cowboys Go America

The Leningrad Cowboys – a Slavic folk band tagged as “the worst rock ‘n’ roll band in the world” – travel to America in search of success. That’s about as far as plot goes in Leningrad Cowboys Go America, an absurdist comedy that satirizes Americana, the immigrant experience, and the Soviet political system.

By Readers' Advisor on May 22, 2012 Categories: All Staff Picks, Humor, Movies and Television, Music, Picks by John

John’s Pick: Vampire’s Kiss

When a one-night stands nibbles at Peter’s neck, he convinces himself he’s turning into a vampire. Is he really? Not quite a psychological thriller and not quite a black comedy, Vampire’s Kiss mines queasy laughs from a narrative that could be considered tragic…plus, Nicholas Cage eats a real cockroach.

By Readers' Advisor on March 6, 2012 Categories: All Staff Picks, Horror, Movies and Television, Picks by John

John’s Pick: One, Two, Three

James Cagney plays C.R. MacNamara, whose long-desired promotion depends on one thing: keeping an eye on the boss’ daughter as she vacations in Berlin. Billy Wilder’s famously sharp-tongued dialogue has never been as fast or as funny as in One, Two, Three, a raucous farce of Cold War capitalism.

By MPPL on December 20, 2011 Categories: All Staff Picks, Movies and Television, Picks by John

John’s Pick: Hard Eight

In Hard Eight, Philip Baker Hall delivers a multi-layered performance as Sydney, an aging professional gambler who takes down-on-his-luck loser John (John C. Reilly) under his wing. John’s involvement with an equally wounded waitress (Gwyneth Paltrow) and a shady casino worker (Samuel L. Jackson) introduces a noir element into this compelling character study of a film.

By MPPL on October 4, 2011 Categories: All Staff Picks, Movies and Television, Picks by John

Let’s Talk About Love

John of Fiction/AV/Teen Services recommends Let’s Talk About Love: A Journey to the End of Taste by Carl Wilson:

Celine Dion’s music has millions of fans worldwide – so why do music critics hate it? One of those critics, Carl Wilson, set out to explore this disdain by examining Dion’s work from practically every imaginable musical and socio-cultural angle. What eventually emerges is a treatise on the very notion of “good taste,” delving into the ways in which we assign value to art can often be shaped by our unconscious prejudices. Let’s Talk About Love is likely to make you reexamine your own ideas about good and bad music.

By MPPL on August 1, 2011 Categories: All Staff Picks, Books, Music, Nonfiction, Picks by John